Police: Man not found in home after domestic call SWAT response; 2 children safe

Written By:
Forum and WDAY staff reports |
Sep 17th 2019 - 8pm.

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Fargo police surrounded a home in the 1100 block of College Street North late Monday night after a man ran back into the home following a verbal dispute with his wife outside the home when police arrived. Residents were urged to evacuate or shelter in place in the neighborhood. Barry Amundson / The Forum

FARGO — Police said two children were safely reunited with their mother after a domestic incident reported at a north Fargo home Monday night, Sept. 16, prompted a SWAT response and shut down neighborhood streets for several hours.

A husband and wife were reportedly arguing outside a home at 1131 College St. N., when officers arrived after a 911 call made at about 10 p.m., police spokesperson Jessica Schindeldecker told reporters near the scene.

The man then ran back into the home where his wife’s two children were and locked the door, according to police. Schindeldecker added that there was a protection order against the man to stay away from his wife and the children. He is not the father of the children.

A SWAT team arrived at the scene just after 11 p.m. in their armored vehicle and a heavy law enforcement presence was seen in the area. A staging area was set up just across from the North Dakota State University campus about a block away from the scene.

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Officers were surrounding the house and Schindeldecker said they were trying to get the man to come out peacefully.

"We have reason to believe the man is a threat to himself or others," she said.

The man was still inside as the midnight hour approached, police said. Schindeldecker said she was not sure if the man was armed.

An NDSU police officer said the man had a rifle, though this has not been confirmed.

But after what was thought to be an hours-long standoff, the SWAT team entered the home to find that the man they thought was inside wasn’t there, police announced at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. It's still unclear when he left the house.

Around 3 a.m., police reopened the part of 12th Avenue North that was closed during the incident.

The Fargo Police Department said it is investigating what happened, though no further details have been released since early Tuesday.

During the hours-long ordeal near the NDSU campus, some people evacuated, while others sheltered in place.

On Tuesday, some students wondered about what happened to the man who was believed to be inside the house.

"That made us feel a little uneasy (this) morning — knowing that he could've just been out somewhere else and not where they thought he was," said Evan Woskum, a junior at NDSU.

Other students expressed shock at what happened so close to campus.

"Walking by, I'm probably going to be thinking about it every time," said Joel Curoe, also a junior. "I feel like I've seen the kids biking around too. I don't know, I've never met them, but it's crazy that it happened right here."